October 29

You can do more through a handful of totally devoted believers than through a churchful of halfhearted ones. -- Bill Hybels

As I grow older, I care less what people think about me and more what God thinks of me. I expect to be with him much longer than with you. -- Robert Baker in Country Road 13


The amount of sleep required by the average person is about five minutes more.
If people were not meant to have late-night snacks, why did God put a light in the refrigerator?

The “Perfect Church”
Ever heard the old cliche’ — “If you ever find the perfect church, please don’t join it. If you do, it won’t be perfect anymore!” The church is made up of people who are saved by God’s grace, but still not perfect!

The RIGHT Imitation
What every church should be is what every Christian should be: elect (born again), exemplary (imitating the right people), enthusiastic (sharing the Gospel with others), and expectant (daily looking for Jesus Christ to return).

Remember this Responsibility:
The world is looking for Spiritual help. When it turns to the church what will it see? Are we “fit to be imitated?” The word “imitate” is synonymous with “follow.” Are we as individuals and as the church something God would want the world to follow?

"Jesus gives us real eyes so we can realize where the real lies." - Michael McInerny

Youth is not entirely a time of life;
it is a state of mind.
Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years.
People grow old by deserting their ideals.
You are as young as your faith,
as old as your doubts;
as young as your self-confidence,
as old as your fear;
as young as your hope,
as old as your despair. General Douglas MacArthur


NIPPING NEGATIVE REACTIONS
Have you noticed how easy it is to react in a negative manner when something negative happens in your life? Doubt may creep into your thoughts and cause you to question God and His Word. Proverbs 17:22 (NIV) says "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."
Samuel Hearne was an adventurer who took an expedition to the mouth of the Coppermine River. He recorded that a few days after the journey was started, Indians stole most of the expedition's supplies. What was the explorer's comment on the theft? Surely he must have been upset and distressed about so great a loss. Not so! The optimistic Hearne wrote:
"The weight of our baggage being so much lightened, our next day's journey was more swift and pleasant."
Remember, negative reactions only make a bad situation worse. Choose to look for the bright side of problems this week. Keep tabs on the results of your optimistic outlook.
You might also want to keep a record of how your perspective is changed.

Interesting web site: http://www.youtube.com/v/RB-wUgnyGv0

"Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm." -- Winston Churchill

A young bride was scouring the aisles of the supermarket. Up and down each aisle she went, then started over again. The store manager noticed this and went over to her.
"Can I help you find something, miss?" he asked.
"I's Mrs.!", she said proudly, "I just got married."
"Congratulations, " said the manager. "What can I help you find?"
"Scratch," she replied.
"Scratch?" he asked, "Is that a new cleanser or something?"
"No silly," she replied brightly. "My husband told me that his mother made everything from scratch, so I need to find some!"


Three paramedics were boasting about improvements in their respective ambulance team's response times.
"Since we installed our new satellite navigation system," bragged the first one, "we cut our emergency response time by ten percent."
The other paramedics nodded in approval. "Not bad," the second paramedic commented. "But by using a computer model of traffic patterns, we've cut our average response time by 20 percent."
Again, the other team members gave their congratulations, until the third paramedic said, "That's nothing! Since our ambulance driver passed the bar exam, we've cut our emergency response time in half!"

On Citizens and the Political Process (by Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family)
Q. You have been outspoken about the need for citizens to get involved in the political process. Explain why that is important and how I can go about doing it.
A. You can start by participating in the electoral process. I think it is a disgrace that half the Christians in America aren't even registered to vote, and of those who are, only half go to the polls. America is not ruled by a dictatorship; it is blessed to have a representative form of government that Abraham Lincoln described as being "of the people, by the people, and for the people."
The Constitution declares that you and I are the government. When we withhold our influence and participation, we yield by default to those who promote immoral and destructive policies. We owe it to our children and to future generations to defend the principles in which we believe - the glorious freedom bought with the blood of so many brave young men and women.
Shame on us for failing to do our duty to God and country. It is unconscionable that so many Christians today have concluded that it is somehow immoral to "get political." I don't believe the Founding Fathers intended to exclude people of faith from the process. There is not a scrap of evidence to indicate such.
There are many ways to participate in public policy besides voting. Letters and phone calls to our local officials, congressmen and senators do make a difference. They certainly need to hear from us.
When you write or call, be brief, and restrict each letter to one subject or one piece of legislation. This makes it easier for the person you're writing to to respond and for his staff to organize correspondence.
Remember that elected officials receive thousands of letters of complaint and very few positive responses. If a public official says or does something that you like, respond with a quick note of appreciation, and by all means, remember that democracy works best when the people make their wants and wishes known.
There are three particular temptations that assail Christian leaders: the temptation to shine, the temptation to whine and the temptation to recline.

In 2005, the personal savings rate as a percentage of disposable income in the United States was negative 0.5 percent, which was by far the lowest of any industrialized nation. In France, the savings rate was 11.6 percent. Germany figured in at 10.6 percent. Japan's rate measured 6.7 percent. - Source: Forbes magazine (Sept. 5, 2006)


"By sacrificing his body, Jesus created a new form of community - the Body of Christ around the world. There are people like my friends, stories like our stories, everywhere he is believed and obeyed. His sacrifice reconnects us to reality, to truth, to who God is, to a clear vision of who we are without him and who we are with him." - Kelly Monroe Kullberg, Finding God Beyond Harvard (InterVarsity, 2006)

"If God never became flesh, he could neither redeem us nor reveal to us his promise of eternal life. It is only by becoming like us that God can make us like him, restoring us in his image." - St. Irenaeus, 444 Surprising Quotes about Jesus (Bethany House, 2006)

The letters of the alphabet in order of their frequency of use are,
ETAISONHRDLUCMFWYPGVBKJQXZ.

"The Lord's Prayer is 66 words, the Gettysburg Address is 286 words, and there are 1,322 words in the Declaration of Independence. Yet, government regulations on the sale of cabbage total 26,911 words." --David McIntosh

"People don't ask for facts in making up their minds. They would rather have one good, soul-satisfying emotion than a dozen facts." --Robert Keith Leavitt

No matter how much the church wants to reach out, growth will not happen if the building and the people fail to say "Welcome!" -- Gary Harrison in Leadership

The church should be a community of dates instead of pumpkins. Pumpkins you can harvest in six months. Dates have to be planted and tended by people who will not live to harvest them. Dates are for future generations. -- George Chauncey

If we can convince people that we are onto something that's full of joy, they'll stampede one another to follow us. -- William Treadwell

October 22, 2006

All-in-one online Bible http://ntgateway.com/multibib/bible.htm - On this site, you can search the Bible through a variety of online Bible programs and translations - all on one page.

Bernie says to his friend, "My Sadie and I, we are always holding hands."
"Why do you do this?" asks his friend.
"Because if I let go, she shops."

IT'S OFFICIAL: TO BE MARRIED MEANS TO BE OUTNUMBERED...
49.7%, or 55.2 million, of the nation's 111.1 million households in 2005 were made up of married couples -- with/without children -- just shy of majority...

"It's the little things that bother us and put us on the rack, you can sit upon a mountain but you can't sit on a tack!"

"Nice guys finish best!" -- Denis Waitley

"The angel fetched Peter out of prison, but it was prayer that fetched the angel." -- Thomas Watson

"There are no great victories at discount prices." --Dwight Eisenhower

"To carry a grudge is like being stung to death by one bee." -- William H. Walton

"If you wouldn't write it and sign it, don't say it."-- Earl Wilson

"It's easy to identify people who can't count to ten. They are in front of you in the express lane at the supermarket." -- June Henderson

"Late night TV is very educational. It teaches you that you should have gone to bed earlier." -- James Dent

A new bride went crying to her mother.
"Momma, I can't get Neil to do anything. I want him to fix up the house, and he keeps putting it off."
"Honey," her mother replied, "after being married to your father for six years, I've found the only way to get him to do anything is to tell him he's too old."

What happens to you is not nearly as important (in your eyes) as how you perceive what happens to you. -- Kent Crockett, "I Once Was Blind, but Now I Squint,"

The Best and Worst of Times
In addition to getting a good night of sleep, spending time with friends (mentioned by 55%) and listening to music (54%), were the only other activities that enthused a majority of adults from among the 17 possibilities that were offered to survey respondents.
The least appealing activities, besides completing tax forms, included having a physical examination by a doctor (14%) and going shopping for clothing (16%).
The ranking of the items examined might surprise people. For instance, the fourth most appealing activity was attending church services, which 40% said they look forward to. In fact, further confirming that religion is “hot” right now, Americans were more likely to say they look forward to reading the Bible (31%) than to look forward to reading a novel for pleasure (25%). And the fact that shopping for clothing was ranked by women fifteenth out of the 17 options conflicts with the venerable stereotype.
The attraction of the media was also evident. Two out of every three adults (68%) said that they look forward to watching TV, listening to music, or seeing a movie. This was especially common among young adults: three-quarters of those 18 to 22-years-old (76%) mentioned at least one of those options as compelling. Overall, one out of every ten adults listed all three media as things they looked forward to a lot.

You Will Know Them by Their Deeds Various population groups reflected their unique spin on life through their choice of favored activities.
# Mosaics (ages 18 to 22) led the pack in looking forward to movies and music. They were also more interested than were others in spending time with friends, shopping for clothing, eating at restaurants, engaging in sports or exercise, and discussing religion with friends.
# Baby Busters (ages 23 through 41) were far more drawn to visiting far away places and were also highly motivated to cook meals. They were the least likely to want to discuss religious matters with others.
# Baby Boomers (ages 42 through 60) were among those who most cherished time working on their yard.
# People older than 60 were by far the most attracted to church services (60%, compared to the national average of 40% who looked forward to attending); reading the Bible (45%, versus the national norm of 31%); watching television; and having a physical exam by their doctor. The fact that one of out every five senior citizens looks forward to a physical exam “a lot” may be the clearest demonstration of how people’s priorities change with age.
# The Bible Belt still lives. Despite an erosion of religious fervor in the southern states over the past quarter century, the survey showed that residents of the South were considerably more likely than other Americans to look forward to attending church services and to reading the Bible. (They were marginally more likely to be excited about discussing spiritual matters with other people.)
# White adults stood out as the ethnic group most excited about reading novels, spending time with friends, and eating at restaurants. In contrast, African-Americans were most likely to look forward to all of the faith-related options (attending church, reading the Bible, discussing religion), as well as watching television and cooking meals at home. Hispanics topped the list in terms of desiring to listen to music and shop for clothing.

Evangelicals were most likely to look forward to attending church, reading the Bible, discussing their faith, spending time with friends, eating in a restaurant and participating in sports or exercise. They were also least likely to look forward to cooking at home, working on the yard, being examined by a doctor and watching movies.

George Barna noted, "Among the most common complaints people have are the struggle to cope with the busyness of their lives, the pressure of family and job responsibilities, and their seemingly unquenchable thirst to be entertained." He also commented, "We voluntarily exhaust ourselves and then wonder why life doesn't seem satisfying. This is one reason why God instituted a day of rest, rather than a day for catching up or gorging on pleasurable activities."


FOOTBALL NEWS
Very few of us are shocked to discover that the per-rush average of first-year Arizona Cardinal Edgerrin James is lower than the blood-alcohol level of the typical fan.

The Minnesota Vikings made it through their bye week without generating a bag of arrest warrants. Now that's progress.

The impressively snake-bit Arizona Cardinals franchise has managed to stage four games at a new stadium without rolling in the grass upside down. Unfortunately, the Cardinals also learned that opening the roof won't prevent it from caving in.

By creating six turnovers in Monday's improbable victory at Arizona, Bears quarterback Rex Grossman demonstrated he just may be the next Brett Favre.

We were slightly vexed by the news that the Cardinals accepted a healthy naming-rights fee from the University of Phoenix. Since moving to Arizona, the Cardinals now have played in venues owned or sponsored by two colleges without football programs.

People would rather learn how to do something, than actually do it. Most people are lazy.
They will spend money in order to move one step closer to their goal, which makes them feel productive, but they will rarely take true action due to a lack of true desire, or fear of making a mistake and looking dumb. Mike Dillard

"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.
"The average age of the world's greatest civilizations, from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:
1. From bondage to spiritual faith;
2. From spiritual faith to great courage;
3. From courage to liberty;
4. From liberty to abundance;
5. From abundance to complacency;
6. From complacency to apathy;
7. From apathy to dependence;
8. From dependence back into bondage."


George Bernard Shaw was once asked in what generation he would have preferred to live. The witty Irishman replied: "The age of Napoleon, because then there was only one man who thought he was Napoleon." G. Curtis Jones,

Power Verses Service
Alexander, Caesar, and Hannibal conquered the world but had no friends....Jesus founded his empire upon love, and at this hour millions would die for him.... He has won the hearts of men, a task a conqueror cannot do." Napoleon

PHOENIX -- When it comes to intelligence, a new survey ranks Arizona dead last among the states. For the second year in a row, an annual smartest-state ranking puts Arizona in the No. 50 spot. In the smart-state ranking, Vermont comes in at the top, followed by Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey and Maine.
Arizona is at the bottom, preceded by Nevada, Mississippi, California and Alaska.
The ratings are based on 21 elementary and secondary education indicators, ranging from graduation rates and test scores to teacher pay and class size.

"Nearly half the world's population now lives in cities. That total will reach 60 percent by 2030. By 2015, the number of megacities with populations topping 10 million will reach 23. Beyond the massive physical and social challenges posed by such giants, Christians have yet to find effective strategies for evangelizing them." - Source: Erich Bridges

Above 6000rpm, no one can hear you scream

If it weren't for physics and law enforcement, I'd be unstoppable!

You are slower than a herd of turtles stampeding through peanut butter.

COMPONENT SETTINGS FOR OCTOBER 2006 U.S. POPClock Projection
One birth every.................................. 7 seconds
One death every.................................. 13 seconds
One international migrant (net) every............ 31 seconds
Net gain of one person every..................... 11 seconds http://www.census.gov/population/www/popclockus.html

October 15

The minister of a well-attended, strong, and enthusiastic church often showed himself ready and able to deal with any situation that might come up. One Sunday, just as he was reaching the climax of his message, his own young grandson entered the church, ran to the center aisle, started making loud beeps and vrrrmms like a car without a muffler, then zoomed right toward him. The minister stopped his message, pointed severely at his grandson, and commanded, "Jack, park the car immediately beside your mother on that chair (pointing), turn off the ignition, and hand her the keys." The message continued undisturbed ... after a good laugh by the congregation.


How big is the internet? An interesting tidbit in an column on the difficulty of tracing terrorists' online activity: The National Security Agency, one of 16 intelligence agencies under DNI John Negroponte, estimates by next year, the Internet will carry 647 petabytes of data each day. "That's 647 followed by 15 zeros," says Negroponte, "and by way of comparison, the holdings of the entire Library of Congress (130 million items, including 30 million books that occupy 530 miles of book shelves) represent only 0.02 petabytes."


An American couple visiting a German village stepped into a small shop to look for souvenirs. The woman sneezed. "Gezundheit!" said the clerk "Charles," said the American woman to her husband, "we're in luck. There's somebody here who speaks English."


The Purpose of Coffee Hour Coffee was always served at our church after the sermon. One Sunday our minister asked one of the smaller members of the congregation if he knew why we had coffee hour. Without hesitating, the youngster replied, "To wake people up before they have to drive home."


On a global scale the average US citizen uses far more than his or her fair share of the planet's resources - consuming more than four times the worldwide average of energy, almost three times as much water and producing more than twice the average amount of rubbish and five times the amount of carbon dioxide. The US - with five per cent of the world's population - uses 23 per cent of its energy, 15 per cent of its meat and 28 per cent of its paper. It was in 1915 that the US population reached 100 million. Fifty-two years later, in 1967, it reached 200 million. It has taken just 39 more years for the milestone of 300 million to be achieved.
37% Percentage of the total cars in the world on America's roads
1 in 7 Barrels of world oil supply used by US drivers
58bn Number of burgers consumed by Americans every year
54m Number of Americans who are obese
300,000 Deaths per year related to obesity

"I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure--try to please everybody." -- Herbert Bayard Swope

You are here to make a difference by serving God and others. Whenever you serve others, in any way, you are actually serving God and fulfilling one of his purposes for creating you. We weren't placed on earth just to breathe, eat, take up space and have fun. God fashioned each of us to make a unique contribution with our lives. Rick Warren

All-in-one online Bible http://ntgateway.com/multibib/bible.htm - On this site, you can search the Bible through a variety of online Bible programs and translations - all on one page.



Crazy Fads http://www.crazyfads.com/ - So much has come and gone in popular culture over the past 80 years. On this site, you can find a list of all the great fads since 1920.

"The question isn't whether God will provide for us, but in what form his provision will come." - Steve Sjogren, Changing the World Through Kindness

"... Sometimes, faith helps ordinary men and women do the humanly impossible: to forgive, to love, to heal, and to redeem. It makes no sense. It is the most sensible thing in the world. The Amish have turned this occasion of spectacular evil into a bright witness to hope. Despite everything, a light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it."
- Rod Dreher, Dallas Morning News, writing about last week's Amish school shooting

Fifty-two percent of polled Americans admitted that they "re-gift" presents or say they will do so in the future. Four percent of those polled say they do this because they don't like the person they are giving the gift to. - Source: TIME magazine (Oct. 16, 2006)

"We think if we can disperse adequate information, people will be convinced that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and turn to him. Those methods don't work any longer. I'm not sure they ever did. People aren't looking for information about God. They want to experience God, himself. Information leaves them bored, uninterested. Experience, especially the ultimate experience any human being can ever have, leaves them breathless.
And that's exactly what we have to offer." - Mark Tabb, Mission to Oz


If a dog was computer literate, would his bark be worse than his byte?


New Dog Breeds
- Collie + Lhasa Apso = Collapso - a dog that folds up for easy transport.
- Bloodhound + Borzoi = Bloody Bore - a dog that's not much fun.
- Pointer + Setter = Poinsetter - a traditional Christmas pet.
- Pekingnese + Lhasa Apso = Peekasso - an abstract dog.
- Irish Water Spaniel + English Springer Spaniel = Irish Springer - a dog fresh and clean as a whistle.
- Newfoundland Lab + Basset Hound = Newfound Asset Hound - a dog for financial advisors.
- Terrier + Bulldog = Terribull - a dog that makes awful mistakes.
- Bloodhound + Labrador = Blabador - a dog that barks incessantly.
- Collie + Malamute = Commute - a dog that travels to work.
- Deerhound + Terrier = Derriere - a dog that's true to the end.


A conceited new rookie was pitching his first game. He walked the first five men he faced and the manager took him out of the game. The rookie slammed his glove on the ground as he yelled, "Darn it, the jerk took me out when I had a no-hitter going."

Morris goes to his rabbi for some needed advice.
"Rabbi, tell me if it is proper for one man to profit from another man's mistakes."
"No, Morris, a man should not profit from another man's mistakes," answered the rabbi.
"Are you sure, Rabbi?"
"Of course, I'm sure. In fact, I'm positive," exclaimed the Rabbi.
"Ok, Rabbi, if you are so sure..... how about returning the two hundred dollars I gave you for marrying me to my wife!"

"Nutritious Eating"
According to a recent article I just read on nutrition, they said eating right doesn't have to be complicated. Nutritionists say there is a simple way to tell if you're eating right. Colors. Fill your plates with bright colors. Greens, reds, yellows. In fact, I did that this morning. I had an entire bowl of M&M's. It was delicious! I never knew eating right could be so easy. I now have a whole new outlook on life.

"Dieter's Prayer"
The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to do push-ups and other exercises.
He giveth me low carb whole wheat bread. He restoreth my waistline!
He leadeth me past the refrigerator, for mine own sake!
He maketh me to partake of the green beans (instead of potatoes). He
leadeth me past the Cokes and milkshakes.
Yea though I walk through the bakery I shall not falter for thou art with me.
Thy Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi, they comfort me. Thou preparest a diet for me, in the presence of mine enemies. Thou annointest my lettuce with low cholesterol oil; my cup will not run over! Surely Ry-Krisp and Sugar-free Jell-O shall follow me all the days of my
life and I will live with hunger pains forever!! Amen!!

"I noticed you always carry my photo in your handbag. Why?" a husband asked his wife.
"When there is a problem, no matter how impossible, I look at your picture and the problem always disappears," she said. The man smiled. "You see how good I am for you?" he asked. "Yes," she said. "I see your picture and say to myself, 'What other problem can there be that is worse than this one?'"

October 8, 2006

Being a Christian is like being a pumpkin. God lifts you up, takes you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. He opens you up, touches you deep inside and scoops out all the yucky stuff-- including the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside you to shine for all the world to see. This was passed on to me from another pumpkin. Now, it is your turn to pass it to a pumpkin. I liked this enough to send it to all the pumpkins in my patch. Happy Fall!

ARE YOU PUSHED OR PUSHING?
How long would you keep an automobile that had to be pushed everywhere it went? How much would it be worth t you? How much pleasure would you find in it? You probably wouldn't keep a car like that very long, because it just couldn't be depended on to get you where you wanted to go, when you wanted to go.
The Lord is no more pleased with one of His servants that continually has to be pushed than you would be with an automobile that continually needs pushing.
God wants men and women of initiative and fervency of spirit. Paul taught us to be diligent, "not slothful...fervent in spirit; serving the Lord" (Romans 12:11)
A Christian that has to be pushed continually in order to keep him in service and attending worship is not devoted to Christ. It is understandable that a new convert might need to be pushed or encouraged, but if one who has been a Christian for many years must still be pushed, he is not growing spiritually as he should. He is not spiritually mature. Do
you have to be pushed? --Author Unknown

DON'T GIVE UP!
Your life is not a boring stretch of highway. It's a straight line to heaven. And just look at the fields ripening along the way. Look at the tenacity and endurance. Look at the grains of righteousness. You'll have quite a crop at harvest ... so don't give up! --Joni Eareckson Tada


GOD IN THE QUIETNESS
Recently, my hunger for some silence and solitude in my fast-paced life led me to a quiet monastery perched above the Pacific Ocean. After arriving, I sat on a bench overlooking the vast coastline 1,000 feet below. I beheld a vibrant, flaming pink sunset -- breathtaking, majestic, and powerful, yet at the same time, completely silent.
The quiet was a vivid contrast to what I had been experiencing. When we feel overwhelmed, we tend to move faster, become impatient, strive harder to stay in control. We seek to work things out for ourselves and turn to personal sources of strength instead of God. Like the Israelites, who were quick to trust in sources of power apart from God (horses, chariots, alliances), we are quick to trust in our own strength, our own resources,
our own abilities.
Yet God calls us to a different way. When we are caught up in busyness and striving, God calls us back to wait in quiet confidence until we can place our trust in God rather than our own efforts.
Lord, when we feel life is out of control, help us return to you. We repent of trusting in and depending upon any source of strength apart from you. We wait for your strength and your deliverance. Amen. --Stacey Padrick, "The Upper Room," date unknown

Peace with God is where all peace begins. --Jim Gallery

A new study, the National Scorecard on U.S. Health System Performance, shows that the U.S. health care system is fragmented, wasteful and in some cases dangerous, and is particularly poor at serving the very young and the very old.
Despite the fact that the United States spends more on health care than any other country, it has the highest infant mortality rate among nearly two dozen industrialized nations, and the lowest life expectancy after 60.

Happiness keeps You Sweet,
Trials keep You Strong,
Sorrows keep You Human,
Failures keep You Humble,
Success keeps You Glowing,
But Only God keeps You Going!
You are so special!


Americans' Religious Beliefs
A new survey on Americans' religious beliefs, "American Piety in the 21st Century," was published this month by Baylor University and reported in the Weekly Standard. According to the survey, 82 percent of Americans are Christians, 90 percent believe in God, 70 percent pray regularly and half attend church at least once a month.
The denominational affiliations of Americans have become somewhat less structured and are drifting towards more informal forms of evangelical Christianity, says the Baylor survey. Results showed that about one in ten Americans is not religiously affiliated. This figure represents 10 million people.
Many of the 10 million Americans who had previously and inaccurately been counted as non-religious actually belong to evangelical Christianity, which now accounts for one-third of the American population and is the nation's largest religious demographic. Mainline Protestants and Roman Catholics account for a little over one-fifth each. Members of black Protestant churches account for five percent and Jews for 2.5 percent. Frustratingly, the Baylor survey lumped together all other categories — Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus — which together account for less than five percent.
Even among that 10 percent who are firmly nonaffiliated, 60 percent believe in God or a higher power and one-third pray regularly. Ten percent of the unaffiliated are attending church regularly and ten percent believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
Not surprisingly, 95 percent of black Protestants and evangelicals believe that Jesus is God's Son, while 85 percent of Catholics and 75 percent of mainline Protestants believe the same. Intriguingly, so too do 10 percent of Jews. Black Protestants and evangelicals are twice as likely to attend church weekly as mainline Protestants and Catholics. They are also four times more likely to read the Bible on a weekly basis than are mainliners, and eight times more likely to do so than the Catholics.

Tweens
The majority of children between the ages of 8 and 12 have positive feelings toward their family which influence their behavior, according to a recent study by the Barna Research Group. The study surprisingly reveals that less than 50 percent of the children surveyed view church as an important or influential part of their lives.
* Less than four out of every ten young people (38%) said that churches have made a positive difference in their lives.
* Only 34 percent said that prayer is very important to them.
* A minority of pre-teens (43%) rejected the notion that they would rather be popular than do what is morally right.
This study underscored the importance of age 12 as a transition time for kids. At that point, young people are notably vulnerable to losing trust in their parents, losing interest in family activities, leaning more toward popularity than morality and questioning their future.
"One of the more significant outcomes of the study," Barna noted, "was the challenge to churches. While most kids in the 8-to-12 age range are involved in a church, relatively few of them consider church experiences to be valuable. This is confirmed by the fact that so few kids consider prayer to be a critical part of their lives. Parents must take the lead in establishing the centrality of faith experiences and practices for their children. That begins with parents modeling the significance of faith in their lives. It also highlights the importance of families taking the lead in the spiritual development process, rather than expecting or waiting for a church to produce spiritual growth in adolescents."

Quilt http://www.gzquilt.com/
Some beautiful launch photos, http://www.ktb.net/~billmeco/sts114A.html
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"When Jesus went home, he left the door open." - Max Lucado

Little Johnny and two of his best friends were bragging about how tough they were.
"Why, I'm so tough", said Bobby, "that I can wear out a pair of shoes in a week".
"Well", said Billy, "I'm so tough, I can wear out a pair of jeans in a day".
"Oh, that's nothing", said Little Johnny. "When my parents take me to see my grandma and grampa, I can wear them out in a hour".

When I grow up I want to be a pilot because it's a fun job and easy to do. That's why there are so many pilots flying around these days. Pilots don't need much school. They just have to learn to read numbers so they can read their instruments. I guess they should be able to read a road map, too. Pilots should be brave to they won't get scared it it's foggy and they
can't see, or if a wing or motor falls off. Pilots have to have good eyes to see through the clouds, and they can't be afraid of thunder or lightning because they are much closer to them than we are. The salary pilots make is another thing I like. They make more money
than they know what to do with. This is because most people think that flying a plane is dangerous, except pilots don't because they know how easy it is. I hope I don't get airsick because I get carsick and if I get airsick, I couldn't be a pilot and then I would have to go to work.

"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires." -- William Ward

"What would you do, how would you change your life, if you learned today that you only had six months to live?" -- Brian Tracy

"Aerodynamically, the bumblebee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn't know it so it goes on flying anyway." -- Mary Kay Ash

"There is nothing we can do to make God love us more. There is nothing we can do to make God love us less." -- Philip Yancey

"The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it." -- William James

"The bend in the road is not the end of the road, unless you forget to make the turn."

October 1, 2006

RAMBLING THOUGHTS
I planted some birdseed. A bird came up. Now I don't know what to feed it.
I had amnesia once -- or twice.
I went to San Francisco. I found someone's heart. Now what?
Protons have mass? I didn't even know they were Catholic.
What is a "free" gift? Aren't all gifts free?
They told me I was gullible and I believed them.
Teach a child to be polite and courteous in the home and when he grows up, he'll never be able to merge his car onto a freeway.
Two can live as cheaply as one, for half as long.
Experience is the thing you have left when everything else is gone.
What if there were no hypothetical questions?
One nice thing about egotists: They don't talk about other people.
If the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to look like a nail.
What was the greatest thing before sliced bread? Hmmmm?

A vision without action is called a daydream; but then again, action without a vision is called a nightmare.

My heart has committed sins that my hands haven't gotten around to yet. --Michael Horton

"Do you think they approved of my sermon?" asked the newly-arrived pastor, hopeful that he had made a good impression.
"Yes, I think so," replied his wife, "they were all nodding."

Driving to a new restaurant, a woman took several wrong turns. When she finally found the right road, she asked her husband, "Why didn't you tell me I was lost?"
"I thought you knew where you were going," he replied. "You always know where you're going when I'm driving!"

Prayer brings us to the very gates of heaven. When we are at the mercy seat, we are partly on earth and partly in heaven. Our prayers are in heaven already, and we are breathing the very atmosphere of heaven. --A. B. Simpson

"People don't want to experience church. They want to experience God's presence."

Have Fun Flying a Plane .. flight simulator. http://www.isoma.net/games/goggles.html

please stop by LeeStrobel.com to peruse some of the hundreds of video clips in the searchable library. “Investigating Faith. “

Oslo teens who drank the most sugary soft drinks also had more mental health problems such as hyperactivity and distress, Norwegian researchers reported on Thursday.
Their study of more than 5,000 Norwegian 15- and 16-year-olds showed a clear and direct association between soft drink intake and hyperactivity, and a more complex link with other mental and behavioral disorders.

The teacher asked her class what each wanted to become when they grew up. A chorus of responses came from all over the room. "A football player," "A doctor," "An astronaut," "The president," "A fireman," "A teacher," "A race car driver." Everyone that is, except Tommy.
The teacher noticed he was sitting there quiet and still. So she said to him, "Tommy, what do you want to be when you grow up?"
"Possible" Tommy replied. "Possible?" asked the teacher.
"Yes," Tommy said. "Mom is always telling me I'm impossible. So when I get to be big, I want to be possible."

Notice the word *fruit* is singular, yet it lists nine. So there is only one fruit of the Spirit. That fruit is LOVE. The others...
Joy - love smiling
Peace - love resting
Patience - love waiting
Kindness - love showing itself sensitive to others' feelings
Goodness - love making allowances
Faithfulness - love proving constant
Gentleness - love yielding
Self-control - love triumphing over selfish inclinations
--Author Unknown



The Doctrine of Relative Filth By Michael Josephson of Character Counts (451.1)
In the early nineties I was asked to spend a full day talking about ethics with the entire California Senate. I was their punishment. Three senators were convicted the previous year and voters passed an ethics initiative including a requirement that legislators receive education on principles of ethics.
This was a high-profile, high-prestige program and I didn't want to be naïve about the political realities and rationalizations in Sacramento, so I spent days interviewing senators and staffers.
During one interview a very senior staffer confided, "We need this program. People really lie a lot up here." I wondered, should I act surprised? "Lying in the state's capitol? I'm shocked!" But before I could respond the staffer added, "I hardly ever lie."
"Gee," I thought, "do you hardly ever take bribes?"
Though his statement about lying sounded like a confession, he wasn't embarrassed at all. In fact, he was proud. "Hardly ever lying" made him morally superior. In a culture where lying is common, the occasional liar feels like a saint. In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
I've heard variations of this justification--"I'm not so bad as long as others are worse"--so many times I've given it a name: The Doctrine of Relative Filth.
It's a rationalization used by cheating athletes and coaches, dishonest businessmen, and others who minimize their moral shortcomings by comparing themselves to others who have even lower standards.
What a pathetic defense! People of character aren't satisfied being better than someone else. They strive to be the best they can be.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

People around us need more than food, they need a Father.
They need more than water, they need to hear the Word of God.
And they need more than mere compassion, they need Christ.

The world as a village of hundred people http://users.gazinter.net/melan/Warn/Warnenu.htm